In the construction industry it is necessary to install electrical outlet boxes and switch boxes throughout the structure being built. In the construction of houses, office buildings, commercial structures or other type buildings, electrical outlet boxes are installed on a stud at uniform distances from the floor and in a uniform location in a fore and aft position. Once the switch box or outlet box is positioned at the desired location it is then nailed in place to the stud.
These outlet or switch boxes to be properly mounted are generally held in place with one hand and nailed with the other hand. It has been found that trying to hold the box in place while nailing is imprecise and frequently causes variations in fixed locations of the boxes. Precisely fixing the box at the proper height, depth and location has been difficult because of the several location concerns involved. Frequently, it could require the assistance of two people, one to hold the box in the exact location and the other to nail it in place. Installation of electrical boxes has been a time-consuming and relatively imprecise procedure.
There have been several attempts to solve this problem. For example, various templates or tools have been devised to hold the box in position while securing it to a stud or other support. Generally, these tools have proven to be an improvement over a two-man operation but also lacking in one respect or another. Frequently, the tools devised have been awkward to use or have required complex adjustments or manipulations to properly function.
Typical devices used in attaching outlet boxes to a stud have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,954,717 (Tarr); 4,706,359 (Greenhill); 4,750,271 (Ericksen) and 4,850,115 (Price). Each of these devices represents an improvement over handholding the box in place and having an assistant nail it to the stud.
In the Tarr patent a mount is provided in the tool that is positionable against the outer face thereof and a support is vertically adjustable to position the box at the proper height. The tool is held against the face of the stud, the box is then placed into the tool, then while still holding the box in the correct position, it is attached to the stud. With the Tarr tool it is required to hold the tool against the stud and while holding the tool place the box in the tool. This requires using both hands, one to hold the box in place and one to hold the tool in place. The tool of Tarr does not have handles which could make his tool difficult to properly use. It appears that in Tarr's invention the box is adjusted in position by moving the slidable support up or down. It would be desirable to fix the box in position and move the tool height up or down.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,359 (Greenhill) a device that fits between the studs is disclosed. Greenhill's tool is self supporting and can be placed between the studs at a desired height and depth. When the tool is manually released it engages the studs. With the Greenhill device one is required to measure the height of every individual box to be installed. Generally, one using the Greenhill tool would first have to use a tape to measure up a stud, mark the location each time and subsequently place the device in position. Again, it would be a desirable feature to have a tool with means to fix a support at a predetermined location so that each individual box location need not be separately measured.
Ericksen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,271, discloses a template for use in locating an electrical box on a stud. The template releasably supports the electrical box at a preselected height and position forwardly of the face of the vertical stud. The Ericksen device does not have a handle and would seem to be difficult to hold in place. Ericksen's device appears to have only one setting for the forwardly position off the stud; it would be desirable to have a multiple setting in this regard. Also, Ericksen's box support slides vertically on an extended sleeve or tube thereby moving the box and support with each box installation.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,115 to Price a tool for locating an installation location for an electrical outlet box is disclosed. The Price device is an elongated structure of about five feet long which could be impractical for certain operations. Price uses an elongated extended support member having a rectangular or square cross section. The rear surface is a plate for placement against the front surface of a stud on which electrical outlet boxes are to be placed. The front surface has a slot in it and box locater devices are slidably attached in the slot so that the vertical height of electrical boxes is established. The Price device has no handles and could be awkward in some installation operations. Holding a five-foot support tightly against the stud and attempting to nail the box could be a difficult operation.
Therefore, it would be a significant advance of the art if a tool for positioning an outlet box was provided with handles, vertical adjusting means, depth adjusting means and a clamping means to securely hold the box in position.